It’s Full of Hearts!!!

   The time during Project Quilting Season is my most productive time of year.  I feel like under a deadline I finish so much more! Might be a lot of the reason I like participating every year!! This weeks challenge is to put a heart in it.

     Of course with it being my work weekend when the challenge starts, I have plenty of time to think of what I might do.  Immediately after the naming of the challenge, I thought of a layer cake I had at home.  I thought there might be hearts in it.  I really wanted to use it. Some person I bout it from in a group took the wrap off  to ship it, so it just didn’t fit in my cabinet well.  

     From there I googled heart pattern quilts.  I just didn’t want any plain one.  I finally came across one from Missouri star that just had subtle hearts in it!  Using the layer cake and would work out just right!! The name is Happy Hearts.  It uses 25 of the 42 squares in the pack.  Trying to mostly use all of the darker to medium fabric.

      The blocks went together quickly,  spread out in 5 days along with working over 50 hours.  Laying them out was a little more difficult,  but I think turned out awesome! There are definitely 4 hearts hidden into the design.

     I made the white border a little wider then what the pattern called for.  I then used the leftover squares to piece together an outer border by cutting them in half.  This quilt finishes at 75x75. Yep, huge.  My goal is usually very functional!!

     The backing ended up not being the one I wanted, but the best option in a hurry.  I ironed it and sandwiched the quilt at midnight.  To get up early to FMQ.

     I put the last set of hearts in the white of the FMQ, with all the white sections having a grouping of echo hearts!

     The binding I used an old pink/red fabric out of my stash to go with the heart theme!  This quilt will likely go to a friend who is battling cancer that I am yet to give one too!

     Yep, I took my photos laying on the dirt on my dirt road.  A place I love.  The place that helped build me!! All in the name of the month of love!

   

Clemson Tiger Rag Quilt

     Another Project Quilting in the books!! This time I was really glad the theme was something I loved, “Team Colors”.  If you have been around my family anytime, you know that we are a Clemson family.  Win or loose,  Good times or bad, we will cheer them on. 

  This time I really think I overdid it and should have chosen a simpler quilt.  Actually, I should say smaller.  This was actually simple, but the 689 pieces took forever to sew and square up.  But of course that’s not who I am.  I usually don’t take the easy road.

  My father in laws 73rd birthday is next week.  So I knew that this would be the perfect gift.  He’s over 6 foot tall, so it needed to be long.  

     I went into my bin of shirts that I was saving to make my boys a T-shirt quilt.  Instead of pulling out a shirt, I found a few Tiger Rags from games we went to with my father in-law.  My husband chose the rag because of what it said.  Then it was on to picking a design. 

I found a couple of designs off of Pinterest. In my usual fashion, I started to design my own quilt combining the quilts. I started with making 8.5 inch blocks of 7 different fabrics and a white background.  

     Using a quick half square triangle method, each 8.5 inch square set became 8 half square triangles.  I then square them up to 3.75 inches.  This made 3.25 inch finished blocks.  I cut the Tiger Rag to fit the center. 

     Then I went to playing with the design. I liked how these borders laid out, so I went with the repeat in rows.  At the corners I ran out of purple blocks so I compromised. But I love how the quilt turned out. 

To finish it off, I free motion quilted ribbon candy in the long white rows. Then figure eights in the white triangles and meandered in the center. The backing is a tone on tone purple.

I kinda love this quilt!! 

     Project Quilting time again.  The time of year where I get so many quilts finished!! This year, Kim with Persimon Dreams posted a new Scrap Challenge that started a week before.  What she didn’t know was that it fit the first weeks theme!! The block for January for the Challenge is the “Nine patch” and Week ones challenge is “Notably Numeric”.

   
     So I decided to combine them with the block made of “nines” and done number fabric! When the scrap challenge came out,  I pulled out a book I recently bought called “Irish Chain Quilts, Contemporary Twists on a Classic Design” by Melissa Corey.  Then the weekly challenge came out and I knew exactly the quilt I wanted use. “Charm Bracelet”

     It’s a fairly quick quilt with a modern spin. Nine patches are cut at an angle and bordered.

     One of my biggest goals this year is using up my scrap stash! My stash somehow keeps growing as people give me theirs. I somehow can’t throw them away!!  I pulled out my scrap precut squares and my large bucket of scraps.  Then I dug thru my fat quarter bin to find the white number fabric quarter.  My quilt plan was quickly developing!

     The blocks went together quickly.  Cutting scraps into blocks and border pieces took the longest.

     I made 30 blocks total, even though the original pattern called for 16.  I actually followed the directions to the T for the first time. So I guess, increasing the size what how I made it my own! Lol! I just needed it big enough to fit both challenges!

     The backing is actually an old sheet from some linens that were given to me.  Binding is some fabric that I just couldn’t grow to like. Actually, the only yardage put into the entire quilt!

     The quilting is a pattern called Smoky Circles.  It’s part of the designs I am working thru in a free motion quilting class. I decided when I started the class that I would try to work thru each design as an entire piece.  Well, hours later, it’s done!! My quilting sure does improve by the end!

The post that never posted..

 

  Just realized that February of last year was my last post.  Boy did I let life steal my crafting joy and take up my time. I did finish sooo many quilts.  I will try to showcase a few here and then some more later as time allows!!

     Here is a very scrappy snowball block quilt.  The snowballs are made of cut of triangles from blocks or binding.  All of the blocks are cut to 3.5 inches.  I had a bunch of scraps cut to 3.5 inches, so this quilt came together quickly!

     I started a Free motion Quilting class put on by String and Story.  My goal is to work my way thru her designs on a whole quilt.

And here it is over a year later abc I am lost to ever remember who I gave this quilt up too.. somehow I never posted this post or even finished the blog.  But cleaning up and letting it out to record the history.  Done, some time in 2019..

The Tradition of Dr. Suess Goes On!!!

     This weeks Challenge for Project Quilting is themed "Bigger then a Bread Box".  This actually almost game me freedom to do as I pleased!!  So lucky for me, a gift I needed to make matched this project!

     I had a few ideas on a theme, but once I saw my bin of Dr. Suess fabric, I knew what I was making!!!   Of course the theme also matches  the fact that Trisha who chooses the theme is s librarian!!   Plus,  this gift is for a special friend whose mom taught both my boys kindergarten!!

     The only thing left was choosing a pattern.  I wanted an easy pattern due to my time limit.  I also wanted one that had big blocks to show off the themed fabric!! I turned to Pinterest and found Fat Quarter Fizz.
 https://static.fatquartershop.com/media/wysiwyg/pdf/FQFizz.pdf

     The pattern was an easy cut and fast to sew!!  A perfect pattern to be done in one day!

     I almost went bold with Quilting.  I was going to use a red thread,  but with all the shades of red in the fabric,  I was worried it wouldn’t match.  So basic white loops and swirls led to a fast finish.
     The backing is a small chevron print that was the perfect height and width for this project.  I had trouble choosing the binding,  I went back to wanting to use a red,  but couldn’t find a pattern and shade that fit the quilt.  So the green dots appeared and I just went with it!!  Of course,  I went and ate dinner and came back.  I accidentally, not thinking cut the red dots.  So, instead of wasting fabric, I used it.  Turned out ok.

     Excited to finish another project!! So glad to mark another off my list!!! Now to projects at my sons house for the next week. And maybe a few minutes of sewing!!

Sometimes Someone’s Clothes Can Help Give You an Answer.

     A few years ago, one of the men who taught me a few of the greatest lessons of life passed away.  Then about 2 years ago, I made his daughter this quilt out of his clothes.
As you can tell, he was a very patriotic man.  Not just patriotic, but a true biblical follower of God.  Someone who you did not question his focus in life!

     For the last few weeks,  I have been questioning my patriotic stance.  At the same time though,  I wasn’t questioning its biblical stance.  The countries downfall I believe is due to a lack of Christianity and moral values. The United States has for year printed the words "In God We Trust".  Now many do not trust God.

    I entered my quilt room going to another project this week.  For some reason though, I went the other direction and pulled out a bin of the leftovers from Mr. Bobs quilt.  I knew that this was the project I needed to do.  Suddenly I was at peace with my current situation.

     I then cut the clothes using the largest possible square or rectangle I could cut out.  I then used graph paper to lay the quilt out.  I kinda like the “Plan to Quilt” book that I purchased from the fat quarter shop. It really gives an awesome space to develop a layout!  I was able to make the entire top out of parts of Mr Bob’s shirts!

     The backing I really liked was within inches of being big enough to be use for the quilt.  I couldn’t find anything else I really liked. Anything I felt compelled to use.  I did see another long piece of patriotic fabric I liked in the fabric I was given.  So the back has one small peicing.

     Then it’s quilted with just basic straight lines.  I could not decide what to do.  It’s for a boy,  actually his very sweet grandson! A young fella that always smiled when his grandpa was around!! It just didn’t seem fit for any decorative stitches. But of course, Mr. Bob was just plain and patriotic!
     My husband chose a simple red blender as the binding! Honestly,  a joyful finish.

     I struggled for over a month with the country we live in and not getting paid.  I struggled with how those we elected to make decisions for our country were acting like kids.  I then had issues believing in our country.  How could my country decide to not pay myself abs my coworkers?  How could they allow themselves to go on fully paid vacations, but I was stressing if my bills were going to get paid. Why should I have to go to work everyday and be told to rely on a food bank?  This is not what America was built on.
     The answer as I sewed this quilt was the prayer to God of what I should do.  I was stressed enough and did not want to pick up extra at the hospital.  Then the offer after offer of food or the job/opportunity of crafting for someone else.  My friends/aqaintances were stepping up to give the the sign I would survive.  I still haven’t gotten paid, but will this week, I have survived!!!
     As most know,  I like to take photos in special places.  These are taken at the Berkeley County YMCA.  Mr Bob made these fields used for Soccer accessible and also at one time paid for a major pool renovation.  If not for him,  our pool would have been close and we would still have massive rodent infested mountains of debris in our back fields!

   

Springs of Endless Scraps!!

     The first challenge of Project Quilting Season 10, led me on a search for a definition.  The nice librarian Trisha who is coming up with the weekly challenges of course had me looking up the definition of the challenge!  "Hope Springs Eternal".  The phrase thats familiar to many, was not as familiar to me.  My few minutes of reading led me to a better understanding and a definition.    Hope springs eternal means "the feeling of hopefulness endlessly renews itself".  Or "It is human nature always to find fresh cause for optimism".  After working 8 more hours in a shift, I knew what I was going to do. 

    For the first Challenge of the year and my first finished quilt in who knows when, I made a massive scrap quilt!! My issue, was for a few months of being overwhelmed each time I walked into my quilt room and became hopeless about the endless scraps that were everywhere!  I made a commitment while doing the Project Quilting Mystery that I was going to make 2019 the year of scraps!! 

     It took me a few to decide on a plan, but after thinking about the scraps I cut down over time, and a Pinterest search, I was ready.  I used up all the scraps I precut in 2.5 and 4.5 inch squares and then starting cutting away at the massive pile of scraps!   The more I cut, the better I felt, and the bigger the quilt got!  I am thinking that between the white on whites and patterned fabric that there’s at least 60 different fabrics in this quilt! 

     I used matching 2.5 inch pattern squares to make four patches, and added patterned 4.5 inch squares to make each block.    Truly, I did not do well at the direction I was placing 4 patches and flipped some the wrong direction.  But, lessons learned and I will remember next time.  63 blocks later and I am done.  The quilt measures 56x72 and is 100% scrap!! 

     I used some old fabric to back the quilt.  To get back into the rhythm of free motion Quilting,  I did a simple pattern.  I attempted to a simple up and down loop.  I then added a little squiggle periodically to the mix.  I think,  by the end, I finally got the rhythm of my stitch length and am ready for the next challenge!! 

     The binding, is another set of scraps.  Leftover binding pieces from a bunch of quilts that I finished over the years!  

     I still have a massive pile of scraps, but cutting them down and finishing thus top,  gave me a relief!!  A hope that the mess, may one day be gone.  Or at least manageable!! 

     When I sewed up each of the blocks,  I was hesitant about the random scrappiness.  When I laid the blocks out on the bed,  I did not like how the quilt looked.  I was suddenly disappointed.  Then I sewed the top up and the feeling of happiness returned! 

     When I woke up this morning,it was freezing and pouring down rain.  Not the best atmosphere for photography.  So I went to church.  As I sat in the little struggling church in the little struggling town, I knew where to take my photos. 

     A little group here has made resurrecting our town their goal in life.  To make the old hotel and Main Street, a place for others to return to.  They know the definition of "Hope Springs Eternal".  Just as I used theses scraps to build up this quilt!!

     My definition this year is: Hope Srings Eternal creativity and organization!! 

This is the old Keller Hotel in St Stephen, South Carolina. Not sure on the date.  I love the front door!  Like really love the glass!